10 Forgotten Animated Movies That Are Actually Great, Ranked

In 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released as the first animated film in North America. It was a runaway success with both critics and audiences, and soon enough, more animated films were being produced. Cut to the present day and there are hundreds of studios found around the world producing animated films, resulting in a massive array of films that are as diverse in their styles as there are people with creative visions. With hundreds of films in existence of varying quality, it’s natural that some will slip through the cracks and be forgotten compared to others. Sometimes it’s because the films were bad, but other times it’s because the film came out at the wrong time, had bad luck at the box office, or got left behind by the passage of time. Regardless of the reason why they’ve faded from pop culture, some of these movies are worth a second look.
10

‘9’ (2009)

Directed by Shane Acker

Image via Focus Features

In a post-apocalyptic world, a scientist (Alan Oppenheimer) divides his soul into homunculi called Stitchpunks in the hopes that they can heal the world. Unfortunately, the last of them, 9 (Elijah Wood), loses the scientist’s magic talisman to a robot built using the bones of a cat. Against the wishes of the dogmatic and paranoid 1 (Christopher Plummer), 9 sets off to retrieve the talisman and the captive Stitchpunk, 2 (Martin Landau), but ends up coming face-to-face with the sentient and vengeful machine that doomed humanity. 9 makes up for its average writing with a stellar voice cast and a huge helping of creativity. The designs of the various robots are all fascinating and terrifying in their mix of organic and inorganic materials, especially when the Fabrication Machine begins making new robots to hunt down the Stitchpunks. While the characters are not the most developed, the voice actors all do a great job bringing them to life, particularly Wood as the optimistic lead and Plummber as the stubborn leader who must learn to put faith in others.

Release Date

September 9, 2009

Runtime

79 minutes

‘The Rescuers Down Under’ (1990)

Directed by Hendel Butoy and Mike Gabriel

Image via Disney

After going on numerous missions together for the Rescue Aid Society, American representative Bernard (Bob Newhart) attempts to propose to his partner, Hungarian representative Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor). However, he is interrupted when the RAS gets a call for help from some mice in Australia, who witnessed a human boy named Cody (Adam Ryen) being abducted by poacher Percival C. McLeach (George C. Scott). With help from a fun-loving albatross named Wilbur (John Candy) and a hopping mouse named Jake (Tristan Rogers), Bernard and Bianca must rescue the boy before McLeach can extract the whereabouts of a giant golden eagle named Marahute (Frank Welker). The Rescuers Down Under was the first theatrically released sequel to one of Disney’s previous animated films, but underperformed due to being sandwiched between The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. While it’s not a heavy hitter like the rest of the Disney Renaissance, the film is a wonderful adventure flick, with high stakes and great characters brought to life by veteran actors. The animation is also gorgeous: digital shading makes the colors pop like never before, and the flying sequences are as immersive as those from How to Train Your Dragon.

The Rescuers Down Under

Release Date

November 16, 1990

Runtime

77 minutes

Eva Gabor

Miss Bianca (voice)

John Candy

Wilbur (voice)

Tristan Rogers

Jake (voice)

‘Surf’s Up’ (2007)

Directed by Ash Brannon and Chris Buck

Image via Sony Pictures Animation

Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) is a teenage rockhopper penguin who dreams of becoming a great surfer like his idol, Big Z. He gets his chance when he qualifies for the Big Z Memorial surfing competition and travels to the sunny beaches of Pen-Gu Island, where he befriends a surfing rooster named Chicken Joe (Jon Heder) and forms a rivalry with the arrogant king penguin, Tank (Diedrich Bader). All the while, a film crew follows Cody to document his budding career. Surf’s Up is an often overlooked entry into Sony Pictures’ catalog, which is a shame because its premise is one of the most unique. It is a mockumentary told through video recordings animated in a way that makes it feel like a true hand-held camera, with plenty of shakes and quick movements as the operator tries to capture every moment of the action. As for the story, it checks all the boxes of your typical sports film, but still has a good lesson to tell about enjoying the journey over winning.

Surf’s Up

Release Date

June 8, 2007

Runtime

85 minutes

‘Help! I’m a Fish’ (2000)

Directed by Stefan Fjeldmark, Greg Manwaring, and Michael Hegner

Image via Genius Products

While out fishing at high tide, siblings Fly (Sebastian Jessen/Jeff Pace) and Stella (Pil Neja/Michelle Westerson), and their cousin Chuck (Morten Kernn Nielsen/Aaron Paul), stumble upon the laboratory of the eccentric Professor MacKril (Søren Sætter-Lassen/Terry Jones), who has created a potion that can turn people into fish to survive the coming global flooding. Stella drinks it by accident and gets lost at sea, so Fly drinks the potion to look for her, and Chuck is forced to join him when a wave sinks their rowboat. Unfortunately, they lose the antidote, which is found by a pilot fish named Joe (Nis Bank-Mikkelsen/Alan Rickman), who discovers that it can give fish intelligence. Help! I’m a Fish is the textbook example of an underrated gem that isn’t trying to break records, just telling a good story. At this, it succeeds with flying colors: the writing is tight and lends itself to memorable characters with their own individual character arcs, and subversion of the usual clichés and tropes seen in children’s films. The underwater world is also beautiful to behold and makes good use of both fluid hand-drawn animation and early CGI to bring to life the various sea creatures and environments.

Help! I’m A Fish

Release Date

October 6, 2000

Runtime

80 minutes

Sebastian Jessen

Svip (voice)

Morten Kerrn Nielsen

Plum (voice)

Søren Sætter-Lassen

Professor Mac Krill (voice)

‘The Swan Princess’ (1994)

Directed by Richard Ritch

Image via Nest Family Entertainment

To unite their kingdoms, King William (Dakin Matthews) and Queen Uberta (Sandy Duncan) arrange for their children, Odette (Adrian Zahiri and Michelle Nicastro) and Derek (Adam Wylie and Howard McGillin), to meet every year in the hopes that they will fall in love. Unfortunately, Derek accidentally offends Odette in their adult years, and before he can apologize, William is killed, and she is abducted by a sorcerer named Rothbart (Jack Palance). He curses Odette to transform into a swan during the day, and will only lift it if she agrees to marry him so he can claim her kingdom legally. The Swan Princess stands out compared to other Disney clones thanks to its gorgeous animation and its simple yet fun story and characters. Its cell-shaded animation helps add to its fairy tale aesthetic, while the characters are a diverse mix that range from relatable leads to colorful side-characters and a charismatic yet intimidating villain. Sadly, Disney ensured The Swan Princess would be buried when they re-released The Lion King, though it has managed to spawn a massive franchise of straight-to-DVD sequels.

The Swan Princess

Release Date

November 18, 1994

Runtime

89 minutes

Jack Palance

Lord Rothbart (voice)

Howard McGillin

Prince Derek (voice)

Michelle Nicastro

Princess Odette (voice)

Liz Callaway

Princess Odette (singing voice)

‘The Book of Life’ (2014)

Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez

Image via 20th Century Studios

Manolo Sánchez (Emil-Bastien Bouffard and Diego Luna) is the latest in a long tradition of bullfighters, but his real passion is music. He is also in love with the mayor’s daughter, María Posada (Genesis Ochoa and Zoe Saldaña), and best friends with local hero Joaquín Mondragon Jr. (Elias Garza and Channing Tatum), who also desires María. Unknown to the three of them, their lives are being observed and influenced by the gods La Muerte (Kate del Castillo) and Xibalba (Ron Perlman), who have a wager on who will marry María. The Book of Life is a visual treat and a beautiful celebration of Mexican culture. Everything about the animation is perfect: the human characters are designed in a way that mimics wooden puppets, and the gods have more personalized ones that capture their personalities, while the backgrounds, especially in the Land of the Dead, are detailed and dripping in atmosphere. The characters are all pretty likable, but Xibalba is the show-stealer thanks to his trickster nature and Perlman’s voicework, which might just be a highlight of his career.

‘Missing Link’ (2019)

Directed by Chris Butler

Image via Laika

Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) is an explorer who longs to join the Society of Great Men, but he is kept out due to his obsession with mythical creatures. Following a note from the Pacific Northwest, he meets the last of the Sasquatches (Zach Galifianakis), who asks that Lionel escort him to Tibet so he can unite with his cousins, the yeti. However, they are pursued by agents of Lionel’s rival, Lord Piggot-Dunceby (Sir Stephen Fry), who wants to prevent Lionel from returning home with proof of his theories. Missing Link is seen as the black sheep of Laika films because of its more lighthearted tone compared to their darker and more mature stories, such as Coraline and ParaNorman. Instead, Missing Link plays out like a classic adventure story, with lots of action, heartfelt character moments, and a sense of wonder and discovery around every turn. The relationship between Lionel and Mr. Link is also very touching, and leads to a sweet message about belonging and found family.

‘Anastasia’ (1997)

Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman

Image via 20th Century Fox

During the Russian Revolution of 1917, Grand Duchess Anastasia (Kirsten Dunst and Meg Ryan) is separated from her grandmother, Dowager Empress Marie (Dame Angela Lansbury), and hits her head, gaining amnesia. Years later, Marie places a reward for anyone who can return her granddaughter to her, and the Grand Duchess, now an orphaned woman named Anya, is picked up by con men Dimitri (Glenn Walker Harris Jr. and John Cusack) and Vladimir (Kelsey Grammer) as an Anastasia lookalike. However, the trio is stalked in the shadows by Grigori Rasputin (Christopher Lloyd), a sorcerer banished by Anastasia’s father, who won’t rest until the Romanov family is extinguished. Anastasia proved that ex-Disney animator Don Bluth could still tell wonderful stories after a string of bad releases in the early 1990s. Rather than sticking too close to the depressing history of the real Grand Dutchess’ fate, the film presents a magical “What if” scenario focused on hope, family, and the search for one’s identity. The music, which saw nominations from both the Academy Awards and the Golden Globes, is also fantastic, with plenty of memorable and enchanting songs like “A Rumor in St. Petersburg,” “Once Upon a December,” and “In the Dark of the Night.”

Anastasia

Release Date

November 20, 1997

Runtime

94 minutes

‘The Road to El Dorado’ (2000)

Directed by Eric “Bibo” Bergeron and Don Paul

Image via DreamWorks Animation

Con-artists Miguel (Sir Kenneth Branagh) and Tulio (Kevin Kline) come into possession of a map to El Dorado, a fabled city of gold. After hitching a ride on the ship of Hernán Cortés (Jim Cummings), they arrive in the New World and find the city, which is still inhabited. The locals mistake Miguel and Tulio as gods, and with the help of a woman named Chel (Rosie Perez), they play into the ruse so they can eventually leave with a ship full of riches. The Road to El Dorado is one of the earliest films from DreamWorks and ranks among their best in terms of character dynamics. Miguel and Tulio are a fantastic duo thanks to how seamlessly Branagh and Kline bounce off one another, leading to a believable friendship full of witty jokes and contrasting personalities. Unfortunately, this film came out when 2D animation was dying, which all but sealed its fate as a hidden gem.

‘Atlantis: The Lost Empire’ (2001)

Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise

Image via Buena Vista Pictures Distribution

Milo James Thatch (Michael J. Fox) is a linguist and cartographer who longs to continue his grandfather’s work and prove the existence of the lost city of Atlantis. After failing to convince his boss to fund an expedition, he meets a friend of his grandfather, Preston B. Whitmore (John Mahoney), who has come into possession of a journal that leads to the city. Whitmore recruits Milo for an expedition to find the city, but the journey is full of more dangers and surprises than anyone could have predicted. Atlantis: The Lost Empire was a box-office failure on release, but has since gathered a cult following thanks to its unique aesthetic attention to detail. The art style comes from Mike Mignola, the creator of Hellboy, and, combined with a unique Atlantean language designed by Klingon creator Marc Okrand, results in a world completely unique to anything Disney has made before or since. It also boasts some of the best side-characters in any Disney film, each of whom has a unique personality, hilarious camaraderie, and fantastic voice actors, including Jim Varny, Cory Burton, and Don Novello. NEXT: I’m a Disney Adult, and Even I Can’t Stand These 10 Disasters From the House of Mouse